SGEU Says Overcrowded Jails Leading To Violence

SGEU Says Overcrowded Jails Leading To Violence

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 13:13

A union representing corrections workers in the province says overcrowding in jails is leading to an increased threat of violence.

The Saskatchewan Government and General Employees’ Union wants the government to reopen 10 correctional camps and community training residences that have been shut down in recent years.

SGEU spokesman Barry Nowoselsky says over the last 20 years, the provincial government has closed two CTRs and eight camps, including ones in Meadow Lake and Waden Bay.

According to Nowoselsky, the crowded conditions in the jails have sparked numerous violent episodes in the past year — many of which he claims have gone unreported.

Nowoselsky says the current situation has also resulted in inmates sleeping in gymnasiums and on the floor because of a lack of available beds.

He feels the jails offer no real training or work programs for inmates waiting for release — unlike the camps and the training residences, where inmates were trained in areas like automotive repair, mechanics, painting, welding, upholstery and woodworking.